Cell-free Metabolic Engineering
Cell-free Metabolic Engineering - Related Videos
10:19
An Introduction to Cell Metabolism
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2023
In cells, critical molecules are either built by joining together individual units like amino acids or nucleotides, or broken down into smaller components. Respectively, the reactions responsible for this are referred to as anabolic and catabolic. These reactions require or produce energy typically in the form of a “high-energy” molecule called ATP. Together, these processes make up “Cell Metabolism,” and are hallmarks of healthy, living cells.JoVE’s introduction to cell metabolism briefly...
21:08
Engineering Cell-permeable Protein
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Cited by 12 •
2009
Protein transduction enables the direct delivery of biologically active proteins into cells. In contrast to conventional methods such as DNA transfection or viral transduction this non-invasive paradigm allows highly efficient cellular manipulation in a titratable manner circumventing cellular toxicity and the risk of oncogenic transformation by permanent genetic modification.
04:42
Micro-scale Engineering for Cell Biology
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2007
16:41
Experimental Approaches to Tissue Engineering
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Cited by 2 •
2007
05:41
Metabolic Profile Analysis of Zebrafish Embryos
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Cited by 42 •
2013
Zebrafish represent a powerful vertebrate model that has been under-utilised for metabolic studies. Here we describe a rapid way to measure the in vivo metabolic profile of developing zebrafish that allows the comparison of different mitochondrial function parameters between genetically or pharmacologically manipulated embryos, thereby increasing the applicability of this organism.
FAQs
Researchers direct metabolic flux by assembling the desired biochemical pathway and adjusting the relative concentrations of its enzymes. They also tune reaction conditions, substrates, cofactors, and energy sources. These changes influence how material moves through the pathway, allowing experiments to identify configurations that favor the desired product rather than relying on the regulatory behavior associated with cellular growth.
Enzymes provide the catalytic activities needed for each pathway step, while substrates supply the starting materials for biosynthesis. Cofactors support the required biochemical reactions, and energy sources sustain pathway operation. Because these components can be combined and adjusted directly, researchers can examine how individual ingredients and their concentrations affect overall pathway performance.
The approach removes constraints associated with intact organisms, including cellular growth and native regulation. Researchers can therefore change pathway components and reaction conditions without simultaneously managing the needs of a living cell. This controlled environment helps clarify how a pathway behaves and simplifies optimization of biosynthetic performance for a selected product.
A typical workflow begins by selecting and organizing the biochemical pathway, then combining cell extracts or purified enzymes with substrates, cofactors, and energy sources. Researchers adjust enzyme concentrations and reaction conditions, observe the resulting biosynthesis, and refine the system. This iterative process supports rapid pathway prototyping and identifies configurations that direct production toward the desired compound.
Experiments can show how pathway organization, enzyme concentrations, and reaction conditions influence biosynthesis and product formation. By comparing different configurations, researchers can identify pathway behavior and determine which adjustments improve the desired outcome. The resulting information supports process optimization and helps establish whether a proposed route is suitable for further bioengineering development.
Cell-free metabolic engineering is useful for rapidly prototyping pathways intended to produce fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and other valuable compounds. It can also support systems designed to operate under conditions unsuitable for intact organisms. In bioengineering, these capabilities make the approach valuable for testing production strategies before applying them to broader biomanufacturing development.